Concrete Playground

Sometimes it's the costumes as much as the dancers and choreography that linger on in memory long after the red curtain drops. Those night sky print dresses in Coppélia! That magical black sequined cape from The Sleeping Beauty that swept the entire stage! Both of those pieces have effectively rendered my own wardrobe dull for ever more. Not surprising, then, that there is a long and rich history of fashion designers collaborating with the ballet to put their own twist on the not-so-humble tutu.

During the course of their tumultuous affair, Coco Chanel created costumes for the ballet featuring Igor Stravinsky's latest score in Balanchine's 1929 Apollo, and recently Karl Lagerfeld has kept up her legacy with a highly criticised outfit for the British National Ballet (too many frumpy feathers, apparently). So, too, Narciso Rodriguez, Marc Jacobs, Christian Lacroix and Akira Isogawa have all loaned their talents to dance. It's high time that some smaller names were added to that lofty list — which is precisely what the Australian Ballet has been working on since 2003 with the Bodytorque series, combining emerging designers and choreographers.

In Bodytorque.á la mode, audiences will see five entirely new works with intriguing titles and collaborations. From the life of Marchesa Casati to escorts in a hotel, the inspiration points of each piece are vast, as are the backgrounds of each designer. Super-chic Sydneysiders take note: there are only five performances, and everyone loves the thrill of the new.